Monkeypox research wins João Monjardino 2022 prize

The João Monjardino 2022 Prize was awarded to researcher Joana Isidro, first author of the article "Phylogenomic characterization and signs of microevolution in the 2022 multi-country outbreak of monkeypox virus" , which was published in the journal Nature Medicine. The prize will be awarded at a ceremony to be announced shortly.

This paper, published on June 24, 2022, explores the possible causes of the recent monkeypox outbreak (first case reported in the UK on May 7, 2022), which was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an International Public Health Emergency (on July 23, 2022), and proposes an explanation for why the outbreak spread worldwide in early 2022. More than 16,500 cases were reported in at least 74 countries during two months (in 2022), compared to less than 1,000 cases reported in the last four years (mainly in Africa).

Joana Isidro has a master's degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics and is a member of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA). The researcher is involved in multiple national and international collaborations, including several projects under the One Health European Joint Program initiative. Since 2020, she has been continuously involved in the genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and, more recently, in the study of the Monkeypox virus in Portugal.

The João Monjardino Prize 2022 was dedicated to the theme "Viral Diseases: Epidemiology, Etiopathogenesis and Control", with the aim of distinguishing the best article published on the proposed theme, which addresses the results of research carried out by a researcher under the age of 35 at the time of submitting the application, in an institution of the national scientific and technological system.

The João Monjardino Prize is a joint initiative between the Francisco Pulido Valente Foundation and the Foundation for Science and Technology, which aims to stimulate research, experimental development and innovation in the field of Biomedical and Health Sciences by recognizing the merit of scientific and technological activities carried out in this field. The amount of the prize awarded is 10,000 euros, shared equally by the two foundations.